Bears cut rookie long snapper Beau Gardner after two weeks
The short version
- Bears waived rookie long snapper Beau Gardner after two games of the 2026 season.
- Gardner went undrafted in 2026 and was an All-SEC selection at Georgia.
- A 23-yard field goal attempt was blocked in Chicago's 9-3 Week 2 loss to Minnesota.
- Chicago signed Scott Daly off the Saints practice squad; he played for the Bears in 2024-2025.
Chicago waived the undrafted rookie and former Georgia All-SEC selection, replacing him with Scott Daly ahead of Week 3.
The Chicago Bears have waived rookie long snapper Beau Gardner two weeks into the 2026 NFL season, the team announced. Gardner, an undrafted free agent and a former All-SEC selection at Georgia, had handled snapping duties in both of Chicago's games this year.
Gardner's debut came in a record-setting Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers, a game in which the Bears converted one field goal and eight extra points. Week 2 was far rougher, as Chicago fell 9-3 to the Minnesota Vikings and saw quarterback Caleb Williams leave with an injury while scrambling near the goal line.
The Vikings game included a blocked field goal on a 23-yard attempt while the Bears trailed by six. Head coach Ben Johnson pointed to the snap afterward, saying the operation was not clean and that the earlier successful kick had been a warning shot.
To fill the vacancy, Chicago signed veteran long snapper Scott Daly off the New Orleans Saints practice squad and onto the active roster. Daly previously spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons with the Bears before departing in free agency.
Gardner will now seek another opportunity elsewhere in the NFL.
